---
title: PicoClaw
description: How ClawMetry observes PicoClaw — where its data lives, the environment variables that move it, what cost data is real, and the traps in its store.
eyebrow: Runtime reference
---

# PicoClaw

PicoClaw is a small Go agent with a flat JSONL session format. It is the clearest example of ClawMetry refusing to invent data: PicoClaw's message struct has no token field at all, so the Cost capability is not advertised for it.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Runtime id** | `picoclaw` |
| **Category** | Minimal Go agent |
| **Vendor** | Sipeed |
| **Tier** | Paid tier (Starter and up) |
| **Upstream** | [github.com/sipeed/picoclaw](https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw) |

## Where the data comes from

ClawMetry reads these locations, in order, and never writes to any of them.

- `$PICOCLAW_HOME/workspace/sessions/<key>.jsonl (default ~/.picoclaw/workspace/sessions/)`
- `<key>.meta.json` — session summary sidecar

**Format.** One flat `providers.Message` per line — content is a string, not a block array.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `PICOCLAW_HOME` | home override |

See [Environment variables](/docs/config/environment/) for the variables that apply to every runtime.

## Tokens and cost

**Tokens.** Not on disk. Reported as zero, honestly.

**Cost.** Not available. On a hosted VM the loopback usage log is the only cost source, and PicoClaw is on that allowlist.

:::note Why this section exists
Runtimes differ enormously in what they persist. Rather than showing a plausible number everywhere, ClawMetry reports what the store actually contains and marks the rest unknown. A cost of `$0.00` and a cost of *unknown* mean different things, and the dashboard keeps them different.
:::

## Sub-agents and delegation

`spawn`, `subagent` and `delegate` sub-turns run against an in-memory store whose save is a no-op, so no child transcript reaches disk. ClawMetry synthesises a child from the parent's tool call and result pair; async `spawn` results are orphaned when the parent turn ends and honestly carry no reply.

## Things worth knowing

- `model_name` may be a bare config alias (`llama3`) or a `provider/model` string. Both are handled and the provider prefix is kept.

## Verify it is being read

```bash
# Is this runtime detected, and would this install unlock it?
clawmetry runtimes --json | jq '.runtimes[] | select(.id=="picoclaw")'

# Why is it locked, if it is?
clawmetry runtimes --why picoclaw

# Any sessions ingested yet?
curl -s 'http://localhost:8900/api/local/sessions?limit=5' \
  | jq '.rows[] | {session_id, agent_id, events, cost_usd}'
```

If detection succeeds but no sessions appear, work through [Troubleshooting](/docs/ops/troubleshooting/) — the usual causes are a relocated data directory (set the override above), a session limit that is hiding older runs, or a runtime that simply has not written anything yet.